Telegraph-instrument key.



No. 637,290. Patented mw. 2|, I899. c. J. SCHEFFLER & c. v. WALLS. TELEGRAPH INSTRUMENT KEY.

A l'imio filed Jay. 7, 1899.)

(No Model.)

IIIIVENTORS aJ. 8M1 GJZWwZb A TTOR/VEYS.

1-H: dams Patna an. mo'ruumo" wunmamn u c CHARLES J. SCIIEFFLER AND CLARENCE V. \VALLS, OF NEIV CASTLE,

PENNSYLVANIA.

TELEGRAPH-INSTRUMENT KEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 637,290, dated November 21 1899.

Application filed January '7, 1899. Serial No. 701,504. (No model.)

T0 ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, CHARLES J. SOHEFF- LER and CLARENCE V. WALLs, citizens of the United States of America, residing at New Castle, in the county of Lawrence and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telegraph-Instrument Keys, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in telegraph-keys.

The invention relates particularly to a selfclosing telegraph-key; and the invention has for its object to construct a telegraph-key of this class whereby the circuit will be normally closed when the instrument is not in use. 4

Our invention consists in attaching to the ordinary telegraph-key a specially-constructed spring-actuated lever for automatically closing the circuit when the key is not in use. By the addition of this spring-actuated 1ever or closer the switches of telegraph instruments in a line are prevented from being accidentally left open and the line thereby incapacitated for work until the switches are again closed.

With this object in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construc tion, as will be hereinafter more specifically described and then particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a telegraph-key with our improved circuit closer attached thereto, showing the position of the same in dotted lines when the circuit is closed and the position of same in full lines when the circuit is open. Fig. 2 is a partial sectional view of a A portion of the handle for operating the cirnum contact-point, as is requisite in instruments of this character.

Secured to the upper face of the base or frame, at the front thereof, is a strip of metallic material 4, with which the spring-actuated lever 5 is normally in engagement. This spring-actuated lever acts as the closure for the circuit and is pivotally secured at its one end, as shown at 6, to the base or frame. For

A the purpose of normally holding the springactuated leverin engagement with the metallic strip 4 I surround the pivoted end of said lever with a spring 7, with its one end engaging the lever and its other end connected to a pin on the base or frame. The action of the spring serves to hold the lever or closer 5 normally in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, thereby closing the circuit.

The free end of the lever 5 has formed integral therewith a sleeve 9, extending at right angles to the lever 5 and partially cut away on its outer end to form a shoulder, as shown at 9. The operating-handle S is formed on its inner end with a shoulder 8 which is adapted to engage and lock with the shoulder 9, and secured in this inner end of the handle 8 is a rod 8, which is adapted to enter the sleeve 9 and is screw-threaded on its free end to receive the securing-nut 10. The handle 8 is bent at right angles, as at 11 and also as at 12, and secured to the free end of the part 12 is a thumb-cap 13, by means of which the handle is operated to force the lever or closure 5 out of engagement with the metal strip 4, and thus break the circuit. When the lever or closure 5 has been so moved out of engagement as to thus break the circuit, the thumbpiece 13 will have been forced against the side of the finger-piece 14 that is mounted on the end of the key 3. In many forms of telegraph instruments ernployed'this finger-piece 14 extends downwardly, and in attaching our device to such an instrument it would be necessary to so construct the thumb-piece as to have the same engage the downwardly-extending part of the finger-piece.- This is, however, a minor detail in construction, such as would suggest itself to the operator when applying the circuit-c1oser to the instrument employed, and such minor details of construction may be made without departing from the general spirit of our invention.

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with a telegraph-key, a spring-actuated lever pivotally secured to the base or frame of said key, a sleeve formed integral with the free end of said spring-aetuated lever, a metallic strip secured upon said base or frame and with which said springactuated arm is normally in engagement, an operating-handle secured to the said sleeve, a rod secured in one end of said handle having a thumb-piece on its free end adapted to contact with the finger-piece of the key when the spring-actuated lever is moved out of engagement with the metallic strip to break the circuit, substantially as described.

2. A circuit-closer for telegraph-keys, comprising a spring-actuated lever pivot-ally connected at one end to the base or frame of the key, a sleeve formed integral with the free end of said lever, a metallic strip secured to the base or frame of said key, and an operating-handle having its one end secured to said sleeve and having a thumb-piece on its free end which is adapted to contact with the finger-piece 0f the key when the spring-actuated lever is moved out of contact with the metallic strip on the base or frame to break the circuit, substantially as described.

3. In a circuit-closer for telegraph-keys,tl1e combination of a lever pivotally secured at its one end to the base or frame of the key and having a sleeve connected to its free end and extending at right angles thereto, a metallic strip secured to said base or frame, a spring having its one end secured to the base or frame and its other end engaging said lever for normally holding the same in engagement with said strip, an operating-handle secured to said sleeve, the free end of said handle being bent at right angles and having a thumbpiece adapted to contact with the finger-piece of the key when the lever is moved out of engagementwith the metallic strip to break the circuit, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES J. SCI'IEFFLER. CLARENCE V. IVALLS.

\Vitnesses:

JOHN NoLAND, JOHN GRoE'rzINeER. 

